Two great books I recently read:

Two Lives by Vikram Seth

Dave, you know about this author; he wrote Equal Music. (By the way, I still periodically listen to the Equal Music CD-set you gave me) This book is a memoir of the author's aunt and uncle, whose lives spanned the "interesting" part of the twentieth century. The uncle, Shanti, was a Hindu dental student who went to study in Berlin in the 1930's. The aunt, Henny, was a German Jew whose family provided lodging for him. Seth created vivid protraits of these appealing and imperfect people from their youth to old age.

Liars and Saints by Maile Meloy

This novel follows the lives of members of an extended French-Canadian Catholic family from world war II to present time. The chapters alternates between the viewpoints of various members, who present their unique perspective on events, colored by their own personalities and secrets. This creates a wonderful tension in the story as the secrets reverberate down the years and produce unexpected results.